MORGANTOWN - The hardest part of making a dramatic change in offensive philosophy, as West Virginia's football team is doing, is not installing things and learning the X's and O's.

If that were the case, the Mountaineers would have been ready to begin the season by the end of April. When spring practice ended, all of that had been accomplished.

No, the trick is mastering it. That process begins in earnest now.

West Virginia's football team reports for fall camp today. Practice for the 105 players invited to camp begins Friday. The season begins Sept. 4 with a home game against Marshall.

While there is plenty of work to be done in every phase of the Mountaineers' game, much of the focus will be on the offense, where new coach Dana Holgorsen is expected to ramp things up considerably.

Yes, there will be installation. Again. That's just a refresher course, though. The real task is to refine and perfect things.

"It's just familiarity, getting good at what you're doing,'' Holgorsen said. "I think our offense - and our defense, too - are fairly easy to install. I think the schemes make sense to the point where the guys understand them. That doesn't mean they're going to be good at it, though.''

That's what camp is about. West Virginia begins with single practices in shorts on Friday and Saturday, will don pads beginning next week and then quickly get into full-contact work. There will be several days with multiple practices.

All of that will last this weekend and through the next two full weeks before classes begin Aug. 22. There are then two more weeks before the opener.

"The first three weeks of camp we're going to treat it like spring practice. We're going to try to get better at what we do offensively, defensively and special teams,'' Holgorsen said. "And then it switches to game week after that and then it's all about who we play. The first one's Marshall, so that's the only one we're worried about.''

The Mountaineers return the bulk of their offensive players, although playmakers Noel Devine and Jock Sanders are gone, along with two starting offensive linemen. One of those is left guard Josh Jenkins, who will sit out the season after July knee surgery.

But quarterback Geno Smith returns, along with receivers Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Tyler Urban and Brad Starks. The offensive line has been rebuilt and shuffled around and there is a deep stable of tailbacks and fullbacks.

On defense, seven full-time starters are missing, but there are headliners like ends Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, cornerback Keith Tandy, safety Terrence Garvin and linebacker Najee Goode.

Holgorsen will also take a look at some talented freshmen who have a chance to play right away.

But the main idea is to take what was taught in the spring and refine it in the time available.

"It's about practicing enough to where they understand it and then how the team meshes together to the point where we can win games,'' Holgorsen said. "We need to practice the next three weeks to get better as an offense, better as a defense, better as special teams. And then we'll use the remaining 10 days to get ready to beat Marshall.''

Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.